


Game's End

by IntotheStarkerVerse (IntotheStarkerverse)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Does not have a happy ending, Endgame AU, M/M, Not Endgame Complaint, endgame spoilers, very short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 09:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19903498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntotheStarkerverse/pseuds/IntotheStarkerVerse
Summary: For Starker Week Day Seven's Prompt, Role Reversal.  Though it can be read on it's own, this does act as a prequel to 'If We Could Start Over' my story for Day Five of Starker Week which can be found in the Starker Week Collection which houses this tale.Tony is the one snapped away and returns to find Peter ready to act as hero to the universe...





	Game's End

One moment, he could feel himself crumbling away. Peter was crouched over him with tears in his big brown eyes, trying so desperately to hold onto his hands. “No…no, Tony. No.” His voice sounded so small, so helpless. Tony tried to cling to life, to keep his body whole through an act of will alone, but there was nothing he could do to stop the act of the Stones.

Then, he was there, back on the surface of Titan staring up at the alien sky and searching desperately for Peter. 

Peter.

Where was Peter?

“You need to come with me.” 

Tony jumped, swiveling in the direction of the familiar wizard. “Wong?”

“Yes.”

He was standing only inches from a gateway he had clearly conjured. Through the gateway, Tony could catch glimpses of land that looked ravaged by war. Not unlike Titan, really. Though, something about the familiarity of that war torn landscape gave him pause.

“I don’t have time to explain this in more detail, Tony. You were gone for five years, now you’re back. Spider-Man and Mysterio are fighting Thanos and they need your help…”

The words hit him like a physical assault. Five years. He’d missed five years with Peter. Peter was with Mysterio. Had they…? Were they…? Tony could hardly blame Peter for moving on, but the wizard was a maniac. He hated the idea of his precious boy tied to that psycho for the rest of his life.

It didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter whether he’d waited for Tony or not. Tony would never let him face this kind of battle alone.

“Let’s go.” 

The second he was through the portal, Tony was signaling his fleet of suits. He had no idea if they’d still respond. He’d been gone for five years, did Peter even still have them online?

It took only a moment to take stock of the battle taking place, to activate what remained of his armor and run into the fray. Still, as he fought, he kept his eye out for that familiar flash of red and blue.

A new suit came just as he needed it most, when he feared that he would soon be fighting with skin and fists alone. He would have. He would fight to his last breath for Peter, who he’d only just glimpsed several yards across the field of battle.

They were struggling to get to each other, cutting their way through the bodies, making eye contact through a mist of blood and shouting each other’s names to be heard over a chorus of screams.

At last he was there.

He was there.

They came together and the rest of the world vanished. There was nothing beyond Peter’s arms, beyond his arms around Peter. He held on with everything he had, breathing in the scent of him and marveling at the newfound maturity to his features, the confidence in his stance, the way he seized Tony and drew him into a soul searing kiss that could not last long enough. “Sorry I let you get all dusty. I told you I’d bring you back…just took longer than I thought it would.”

“Never doubted you for a minute, Kid. Always knew you’d change the world.”

Peter grinned, giving him another peck before turning back into the fray. “We gotta end this, Tony. Now. I can’t lose you again.”

“You won’t.”

Except that they were. Going to lose. Thanos had gotten the Gauntlet back. He was going to end everything, the very universe they lived in was going to end and be replaced by something of his design… There was nothing they could do…

Peter.

He saw him. He knew instantly what the boy was going to do, but there was nothing he could do to stop him. Tony couldn’t get there in time. He couldn’t stop him. He couldn’t take his place. Peter wasn’t going to survive this.

In the aftermath, as Thanos and his minions drifted away on the wind, Tony cradled Peter’s body and held him close as he cried, begging the boy to live. “You can heal this, Baby. I’ve seen you heal worse. Just hold on. Hold on.” All lies, but he was desperate.

Peter’s eyes were dimming, the spark of life fading away. He didn’t even try to speak, perhaps he couldn’t. 

“I love you, Peter. I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry I failed…” The boy’s body went limp in his arms and Tony wished he could disappear on the wind again.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry, now that Starker Week is officially over, I am returning to 'Time of Our Lives' to finish it. I appreciate everyone's patience while I indulged in a little Starker Week fun!
> 
> Be sure to follow me on Tumblr @Intothestarkerverse
> 
> I'm always honored to receive prompts and story ideas from fellow Starkers!


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